Harold Doffing Memorial Park - Hampton, MN

 HISTORY

There was no history on the field or for the team online, and little history is available at the field, either.   So, I went to the City of Hampton and drove the streets to get a feel for the town.  I have driven past many times but have yet to go into the City.  I found an emblem that the Hampton Cardinals were established in 1936.  I unsuccessfully tried looking for something on Harold Doffing, but I assume he must be a descendant of M. Doffing, whose name is on the existing building below.


M. Doffing building - 1897


The first settler to claim land in the area now known as Hampton was John M. Bell in the fall of 1854.  The Bell family quickly made a home for themselves in Hampton Township.  Later on, in 1854, Stephen D. Bell, brother of John Bell, toured the area and later moved his family to the Township.  Other area settlers included German immigrants such as Conrad, Peter, Nicholas Doffing, John J. Fox, Joseph Stumpf, and Nicholas Kranz.  A post office was opened in 1856.  The 1.24 square mile City was created on April 6, 1858, and named after the City of Hampton, Connecticut.  


Colonaide Hotel, Hampton, MN 1909

1910 view of Hampton

MY EXPERIENCE


Parking—Parking is provided on two small lots close to the field.  Both are not protected from foul balls.  In fact, during the game, over half the cars parked there were moved.  Parking is primarily on the local streets.  With the attendance of about 50 people on July 28, 2024, convenient parking was easy to find.



Spectator Options—There are plenty of seating options with five full-sized picnic tables under the concessions pavilion, plenty of room along the third base side to set up a chair, and the primary bleacher/press box area behind home plate.  The beaches are traditional bleachers without back supports.  The field is not equipped with lights so only daylight games are possible.



Concessions—(I prefer a hot dog with a root beer) The concessions are located near the 3rd base foul and inconvenient for the main seating.  The hot dog is from Greg's Meats just south of the field, and they had A&W Root Beer.  The Hot Dog is slightly above average, with a crisp casing and a unique blend of spices.  Condiments were limited to catsup and mustard, and there was no relish or onions.  Even though this is a public park, it appears they allow people to bring their own coolers, which includes beer.


SUMMARY COMMENTS


This field lacks the small-town allure, along a major highway with commercial developments in clear view.  However, there was a sense of community and energy from the spectators.  This could be because there were only four players over 21, the youngest being 15, and the average age is 19.  I typically see half the team over 23, like the Rochester Royals Hampton players today, who had half the team over 21 and an average age of 23.


Since this location is close to the metro, I would head there for a game in the future.  I will return when the opportunity arises. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Memorial Park - Dundas Dukes

Image
HISTORY Park Entrance Statue Memorial Park is on the Cannon River in Dundas, Minnesota.  The ballpark hosts over 60 games annually, including the Dukes ( Class B team with the Minnesota Baseball Association) , Northfield Legion, Northfield High School, Dukes over-35 team, the Milltown Outlaws  with the Federal League Class A, and the Minnesota State High School League Section Playoffs.   The Dundas Baseball Association, the Dukes' parent organization, maintains and funds the ballpark.  The Dukes rely on a network of dedicated volunteers and a small seasonal staff to manicure the four-acre complex.  The 2024 season was challenging as the Cannon River experienced significant flooding.  Once the flood receded , the volunteers quickly cleaned the field for play. The park underwent a roughly $100,000 renovation in 2021, which included updating the main grandstand, a 500-square-foot press box, and a new audio system.  Memorial Park co-hosted the 2022 Minnesota Baseball Association Clas
Read more

Bonin Field - St. Francis, MN

Image
HISTORY On July 25, 2024, I attended the St. Partick Shamrocks VS the Chaska Diamonds , a 35-year and older townball team game at Bonin Field.   St. Patrick is a small unincorporated community comprising the St. Patrick Tavern and Grill, the St. Patrick Catholic Church of Cedar Lake, the St. Patrick Catholic Cementary, and Bonin Field. B onin Field was named after a former Catholic Priest, Fr. Leo Bonin, who was instrumental in supporting local baseball in St. Patrick in the 1950s.   Bonin Field had a significant renovation project in 1989.  An electronic scoreboard was erected in 2004, infield irrigation was added in 2008, and over 1,000 linear feet of drainage tile was added below the playing surface in 2012.  In late summer 2015, irrigation was added to the rest of the field, and a zone to water the infield ag-lime. In the fall of 2018, the 30-year-old homemade backstop was demolished and replaced with a concrete knee wall and net backstop system. Part of the project was funded by
Read more

Prior Lake Veterans Field at Memorial Park

Image
HISTORY Prior Lake was a Village from 1891 to June 1, 1921, when the City was formally incorporated.   For over 60 years, the Prior Lake community has supported amateur baseball, the Prior Lake Lakers.  The Lakers comprised older members.  In the 1960s, a new team (The J’s) was created for younger members.  It was named J’s as it was primarily juniors from the local high school team.  Home Juice Company sponsored them.  The J’s growth included a greater variety of ages, and the name was changed to the “Jays.” They were highly successful yet disbanded in 1976. Eleven years later, a small group of baseball enthusiasts and several local businesspeople partnered to sponsor amateur baseball.  The “new” Prior Lake Jays were supported by over 70 initial sponsors.  The formation resulted in the “Jay” bird logo.  They were a Class B team.  In 1991, the Prior Lake Mudcats were created to provide a Class C team and provide playing opportunities for more players.   A search found that in addition
Read more